A microfluidic device developed at Massachusetts General Hospital may help study key steps in the process by which cancer cells break off from a primary tumor to invade other tissues and form metastases. In their report published in Nature Materials, the investigators describe as stands for epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a fundamental change in cellular characteristics.

Among the research institutions NCI funds across the United States, it currently designates 68 as Cancer Centers. Largely based in research universities, these facilities are home to many of the NCI-supported scientists who conduct a wide range of intense, laboratory research into cancer’s origins and development. The Cancer Centers Program also focuses on trans-disciplinary research, including population science and clinical research. The centers’ research results are often at the forefront of studies in the cancer field.